Legacy Podcast

Episode 1: The Humble Potato | The Root Of Empires

Hosted by: Afua Hirsch & Peter Frankopan
Date: October 14, 2025

Episode Overview

In the season opener of Legacy’s new series, hosts Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan swap historical icons for an unassuming powerhouse: the potato. By tracing the potato’s global journey—from the ancient Andes through European suspicion to its pivotal role in urbanization, nutrition, and society—the duo reveal how this “humble” root crop quietly fueled empires, catalyzed social change, and shaped the modern world. The episode explores both reverence and resistance, unpicking the potato’s complex, often overlooked, legacy that extends far beyond the dinner table.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A New Approach to Legacy: Not Just People

• [00:42–03:30]
  • The hosts announce a thematic expansion: examining not just individuals but events, ideas, and, this week, foods that shaped history.
  • Afua admits her aversion to potatoes, setting up a humorous yet insightful exploration of why the potato deserves serious historical attention.
  • Quote [04:29] — Afua Hirsch:
    "I really, really don't get what is special about potatoes. And that is why I'm very excited for this, because as a result of working on this series with you, Peter, I have learned that there is actually a lot about potatoes that I didn't get. And I am truly humbled."

2. Origins: The Potato in the Andes

• [08:03–12:42]
  • Peter details the potato's origins in the Andean highlands (Peru & Bolivia), with domestication dating back 7,000–8,000 BCE.
  • Ancient Andean civilizations developed advanced agricultural storage, irrigation, and terracing methods, making the potato a foundation of surplus and social hierarchy.
  • The extraordinary diversity—over 1,500 varieties—contrasts with Europe’s monochrome offerings.
  • Quote [12:14] — Peter Frankopan:
    "I've spent some time when I got obsessed by the potatoes...My favorite one is a potato called the daughter in law's nightmare. It’s got impossible curves to try to peel...you’ve got to be able to peel it in a way that uses the least amount of waste possible to prove that you’re worthy."

3. The Potato as an Agricultural Marvel

• [15:24–16:41]
  • Afua highlights the potato’s underground growth as a key to its productivity (one plant → huge calorie output per acre).
  • Peter notes its ease of cultivation, resilience to poor soils, and comparison to other staple crops like wheat and rice.
  • Quote [16:10] — Afua Hirsch:
    "For the same amount of land you are cultivating a crop that can be so much more productive...it can feed so many more people with one plant."

4. Global Spread & The Nightshade Family

• [17:34–19:19]
  • Discussion of the potato’s relation to tomatoes, aubergines, and peppers (nightshades) and issues some people have digesting them.
  • Globalization via colonization: many “traditional” foods across several continents actually emerged from the Americas.

5. Environmental & Social Context in the Andes

• [19:19–22:33]
  • The Andes’ extreme climate and altitudes made potatoes central for resilience to crop shocks.
  • Andean societies built food security and social structure around the diversity of potato cultivation.

6. The Potato’s Arrival in Europe & Colonial Narratives

• [25:41–32:32]
  • The Spanish introduce potatoes to Europe in the 16th century, initially as a botanical curiosity.
  • Peter and Afua analyze class and colonial narratives embedded in early European reactions—potato seen as food for the poor or “other.”
  • Quote [28:56] — Afua Hirsch:
    "...food sources like the potato are absolutely central to understanding...how [Europeans] could compete with their rivals to conquer more of the world. And now, that might sound like a big story, but food sources like the potato are absolutely central to understanding that."

7. Suspicion, Resistance, and Class Snobbery

• [33:19–36:57]
  • Potatoes were viewed with distrust and sometimes outright banned (notably in France). Some saw them as "devilish" or unfit because they weren’t in the Bible.
  • Cultural, religious, and class concerns colored the introduction, from peasant superstitions to philosophical dismissals.
  • Quote [33:32] — Afua Hirsch:
    "They say the devil plants potatoes for they grow in the dark and fatten the poor without grace."
  • Quote [36:08] — Afua Hirsch (citing Diderot):
    "Roots. No matter how you prepare it, the root is tasteless and starchy. It cannot be regarded as an enjoyable food, but it provides abundant, reasonably healthy food for men who want nothing but sustenance. It’s windy, as in it causes gas. But he said, what is windiness to the strong bodies of peasants and labourers?"

8. Nutritional Powerhouse & Economic Effects

• [36:57–39:11]
  • The potato offered unmatched calories and nutrients per land unit. Could be grown on marginal soils; supported both people and livestock, feeding Europe’s urban expansion.
  • Quote [36:57] — Peter Frankopan:
    "The potato provides more calories, more vitamins, and more nutrients per acre of land than any other staple crop...It's a kind of jackpot nutrient."

9. The Potato Drives Social Change

• [39:11–45:11]
  • Improved nutrition led to population booms, rising adult heights, improved health, and reduced food rioting/war in parts of Europe and China.
  • Potato cultivation correlated with increased urbanization and the restructuring of labor, particularly enabling women and children to participate outside farm work.
  • Quote [41:09] — Afua Hirsch:
    "It's kind of socially disruptive within Europe because we're coming out of an era where the class system was so physically manifested in people's bodies...this idea of the potato now making the kind of rural poor from Ireland look as handsome and well developed as the rich in London is quite a disruptive idea."

10. Urbanization & Gender Roles

• [43:11–45:11]
  • Rapid city growth sometimes outpaced infrastructure, as described vividly by Rousseau and Voltaire.
  • More abundant, predictable food supply allowed more movement, shifting gender roles as more women contributed to urban economies.
  • Quote [45:11] — Afua Hirsch:
    "I think it's a bit of a stretch to credit the potato with feminism, but everything we've talked about...We know these burdens always fall disproportionately on women..."

11. A Cautious Legacy: Seeds of Disaster

• [46:42–47:53]
  • The episode closes by teeing up next week’s focus: how the potato’s positive legacy set the stage for calamity (hinting at monoculture, disease, famine).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Afua Hirsch ([04:29]):
  "I really, really don't get what is special about potatoes...But I am truly humbled."

• Peter Frankopan ([12:14]):
  “My favorite one is a potato called the daughter in law's nightmare. It’s got impossible curves to try to peel.”

• Afua Hirsch ([16:10]):
  "...if you think about other grains...when they grow above the ground, if they grow too big, the plant will keel over..., and it will die...the thing about potatoes...underground...unlocks the potential for so much larger plants."

• Peter Frankopan ([36:57]):
  "The potato provides more calories, more vitamins and more nutrients per acre of land than any other staple crop..."

• Afua Hirsch ([33:32]):
  "They say the devil plants potatoes for they grow in the dark and fatten the poor without grace."

• Afua Hirsch ([41:09]):
  "...this idea of the potato now making the kind of rural poor from Ireland look as handsome and well developed as the rich in London is quite a disruptive idea."

Important Timestamps

• 00:42–03:30: Introduction to new show format and rationale for exploring non-human legacies
• 03:30–08:03: Afua’s potato aversion and rationale for the potato’s legacy
• 08:03–12:42: Origins, domestication, diversity, and early Andean agriculture
• 14:15–16:41: Why the potato was a “missing piece” in food history
• 17:34–19:19: The global spread and nightshade family connections
• 22:33–25:02: Transition from Andes to Europe; monocultures and food security
• 25:41–32:32: Colonial “discovery,” European arrival, and class narratives
• 33:19–36:57: Social/religious suspicion and culinary snobbery
• 36:57–39:11: Caloric and nutritional impact; animal feed and economic cycles
• 39:11–45:11: Urbanization, population growth, and shifting gender roles
• 46:42–47:53: Preview of next episode and coming crises

Episode Tone

Curious, playful, and historically rich—Afua and Peter balance humor (including Afua’s spirited anti-potato commentary) with deep, accessible explorations of food history, social change, and the global forces that shaped the world’s relationship with the potato. Their banter is engaging and inclusive, welcoming listeners to reconsider the overlooked influence of everyday objects.

To Be Continued

Next episode sneak peek:
How the potato, once a miraculous crop, became the vector of disaster—and what that reveals about monocultures, colonial legacies, and food systems.